In many buildings, and particularly commercial buildings, double doors supported in metal frames are utilized. A vertically oriented mullion is often utilized in this type of frame so as to divide the double-door opening in half, and single doors are then mounted on opposite sides of the mullion. In many instances the mullion is mounted in a removable manner within the frame, which, after removal of the mullion from the frame, allows the movement of large objects or loads through the doorway.
Due to increasing security and safety measures being taken with respect to various entryways to buildings, it is often desirable to incorporate security devices into doorways or to mount same adjacent doorways. For example, electric strikes for securing hinged or swinging doors are well known in the field of door security systems. The electric strikes are employed with doors having projectable latch bolts that engage the electric strike. The electric strike is typically mounted to the door frame and defines an opening for receiving the latch bolt or dead bolt from the lock set mounted to the door. The strike includes a keeper which is operated so as to selectively open or close the opening in which the door bolt is engaged so as to either allow passage of the bolt through the opening defined in the strike and thus allow opening of the door, or to retain the bolt within this opening so as to prevent opening of the door.
Another type of security device which may be utilized at an entryway is a card reader which allows access only to a person having a coded access card, or an identification device which scans a physical feature of the person such as a thumbprint and allows access only to recognized persons. These types of devices may be utilized in conjunction with an electric strike as discussed above, so as to selectively permit entry of authorized personnel through the doorway through electronic actuation of the keeper of the electric strike. Further, a proximity sensor which is actuated by movement at or adjacent the doorway and which actuates an alarm after sensing such movement may be desirable in some situations. Such devices as described above require electrical power to operate, and thus there is a need for power capability in a removable mullion arrangement. More specifically, electric strike plates are typically mounted on one or both sides of the mullion for controlling opening and closing of one or both doors and thus require connection to a power source. Further, it may be desirable to mount one or more of the other devices discussed above directly to the mullion, for example on the outwardly facing front side thereof for monitoring access to the doorway.
A mullion arrangement having power capability is known. This arrangement includes a mullion which is removably engaged between a top fitting which is secured to the upper horizontal frame member of the door frame, and a bottom fitting which is fixed to the floor. The mullion has a hollow interior in which a power cable is provided for supplying electrical power from a power source to an electrical strike plate mounted on the mullion. The upper end of the mullion mounts thereon a keyed locking mechanism which cooperates with the top fitting to secure the mullion in place between the top and bottom fittings. The top fitting incorporates therein an electrical receptacle which receives a connector provided on a free end of the power cable disposed within the mullion.
However, the top fitting utilized in this known arrangement projects a significant distance downwardly into the doorway when the mullion is removed which creates an obstruction when passing large objects through the doorway. Further, the sleeve-like top fitting which houses the receptacle presents a space problem when connecting the power cable connector to the receptacle, since the installer must reach up into the top fitting to make the connection. Since the space defined within the sleeve-like top fitting is small, manipulation of the cable connector is difficult, particularly since the cable connector must be rotated to align same with the receptacle. A further disadvantage of this mullion arrangement lies in the placement of the locking mechanism at the upper end of the mullion. More specifically, loose wires at the upper end of the power cable can easily become tangled within the components of the locking mechanism.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved mullion arrangement having power or cable carrying capability which is believed to overcome many of the disadvantages and inconveniences associated with the known arrangement described above. More specifically, the improved mullion arrangement according to the present invention includes a top fitting equipped with a receptacle secured to an upper frame member of a door frame, a bottom fitting secured to the floor beneath the top fitting, and a mullion removably positioned between the top and bottom fittings. The mullion defines a cavity therein in which a cable is disposed, wherein one end of the cable is associated with a component provided on the mullion, and the opposite end of the cable is connected to the receptacle of the top fitting. The top fitting is mounted in substantially flush relation with a lower surface of the upper frame member of the door frame which allows unobstructed access to the receptacle during installation of the mullion, and also avoids obstruction of the doorway when the mullion is removed such as when large items are moved through the doorway.
The mullion arrangement according to the invention additionally includes a locking arrangement located at the bottom of the mullion which cooperates with the bottom fitting so as to securely lock the mullion in position within the doorway, which frees the upper end of the mullion for accommodating cabling.
Other objects and purposes of the invention will be apparent to persons familiar with arrangements of this general type upon reading the following specification and inspecting the accompanying drawings.
Certain terminology will be used in the following description for convenience in reference only, and will not be limiting. For example, the words “upwardly”, “downwardly”, “rightwardly” and “leftwardly” will refer to directions in the drawings to which reference is made. The words “inwardly” and “outwardly” will refer to directions toward and away from, respectively, the geometric center of the arrangement and designated parts thereof. The word “front” will refer to the side of the mullion arrangement which faces outwardly towards the doors and away from the interior of the structure in which the doorway is defined, and the word “rear” will refer to the side of the mullion arrangement which faces inwardly and towards the interior of the structure. Said terminology will include the words specifically mentioned, derivatives thereof, and words of similar import.